Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

Art thou reasonable and moderate in the commands which thou layeft upon them? Doft thou admonish and correct them with calmness and gravity, when they tranfgrefs their duty?

Haft not thy feverity put them upon cheating and lying? for that will make thee a partaker with them in their fin.

Haft thou been remifs in fuffering them to neglect their duty to God?

Haft thou afforded them time and opportunities for the fervice of God in public and private?

Doft thou fet them an example of sobriety and godlinefs in thy own life and converfation and doft thou encourage their living foberly and religioufly, by proper marks of thy kindnefs and favour?

Haft thou been conftant in thy daily devotions with thy family?

HAS

The duty of a magiftrate*.

AST thou made it thy endeavour to be a terror to evil-doers, and a praise to them that do well?

Haft thou not been more intent upon thy own private intereft than in advancing the common good?

Haft thou endeavoured to inform thyfelf

of

* This duty may be found further explained in the NEW WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 8. Section III.

of the duty, in order to the doing of it, when thou haft been called to the office of conftable, church-warden, or any other public office?

To these duties, in general, we might add the particular duties of the people to their prince, and the laity to their ministers; but to prevent tediousness, which often cools devotion, I shall refer those that desire information upon these heads, to the NEW WHOLE DUTY OFMAN, Sunday 8. Sections I. II, and IV.

Directions.

When you have once thoroughly examined yourself, and made a particular confession of the sins of your whole life, and begged pardon, there is not the same absolute necessity of such a laborious examination, at your next communication; especially if you examine yourself carefully every night, and daily repent of the evil of the day past, and are not conscious to yourself of any great and notorious sins, since your last confession : for if you are not, the examination and confession only of what past since your last communicating, together with a general confession of your former sins, and a solemn renewing of your former acts of repentance, may serve the turn. but if your conscience accuses you of any culpable neglect in your last examination, of any great relapses, or of any wilful violations of your last rows and resolutions; in these, and the like cases, it is the surest way to begin all your repentance again.

I am sensible it is not easy to enumerate all the instances of duty reducible to these three heads, concerning GOD, one's neighbour, and one's self; nor to set down the several branches and violations of them: but the method here propo sed, will, I am persuaded, (if carefully attended to,) assist any one in getting a competent knowledge of his own state and condition. And as the foregoing examination of our lices, is in order to the confession of our sins, and that such a distinct sight and consideration of them may breed in us humble and contrite hearts; so when we are come to a suf ficient knowledge of our sins, by the foregoing method of exa mination, our next step is to repent of them; and the first part of our repentance is to make an humble confession of our vileness and unworthiness in committing them.

A profeffion of godly forrow for our fins, and a refolution of new obedience towards God, to be made on Monday evening.

I will rise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Luke xv. 18, 19.

Ο

den,

Lord! I call my ways to remembrance with a troubled heart; my evil doings are before mine eyes; they are a burden upon my fpirits, a fore burden, too heavy for me to bear. But now, O my God, with a heart truly forrowful and penitent, I turn from my evil ways, refolving by thy grace to become a new creature; from this day forward I am fully determined to betake myself to areligious courfe of life; O let not iniquity be my ruin.

O Lord, I am not worthy fo much as to lift up mine eyes unto thee; but whither theuld a wretch in guilt and mifery look but unto thee, the fountain of all mercy? whither, but to a God, whofe mercy is greater than my wickednefs? to a God, whofe property it is to be kind to his enemies; and whofe patience to bear with my fins, is as great as his power to punish them; and who had much rather be reconciled to me, than take vengeance upon me? whither indeed, but to thee, O God of all grace and comfort! who fhoweft mercy to the unworthy, and inviteft me,

with all the tendernefs and bowels of a compaffionate father, to turn from my evil ways, that my foul may live, and be for ever happy in thy eternal kingdom.

Therefore, encouraged by thy goodnefs, O Lord, I addrefs myfelf unto thee, who am ready to fink under the heavy load of guilt and mifery; and yet I make no plea, but for thy mercy; nor have any pretence to claim it, (for, alas! I muft with fhame acknowledge, I have very much abufed it,) but thro' thy inexpreffible love, I know I have a meft merciful Saviour, who died to purchase falvation for me; and who now powerfully intercedes with thee for the pardon of true penitents. O! for the fake of his bleffed name, receive me graciously to thy mercy, and be not angry with me for

ever!

Forgive me, O merciful Father, for I am heartily forry for all the evils which I have done: I have finned, O Lord God, I have finned against thee,-by [Here recollect and confess those sins you have committed against Gon, with their. aggravations that accompany them, as set down in the preceding heads to the examination of conscience contained betwixt pages 15 and 19, both inclusive. For instance, Lord i have committed this sin, or these sins frequently, against checks of conscience, &c. and then add] Father I have finned against heaven, and in thy fight, and am no more worthy to be called thy fon: O pity, and cleanfe, and forgive, and fave

me,

me, for thy mercies' fake. I have finned, O Lord God, I have finned agaimft thee and against my neighbour by-[Here confess those sins you have committed against your NEIGHBOUR, with their aggrazations, &c as contained betwixt pages 19 and 23, and betwixt 26 and 33, and then add] Father, I have finned against heaven and in thy fight, and am no more worthy to be called thy fon: O pity, and cleanfe, and forgive, and fave I have finned me, for thy mercies' fake. against thee and against my ownfelf byHere confess those sins you have committea against YOURSELF,with their aggravations, &c. as contained betwixt pages 22 and 26, and then add] Father, I have finned against heaven, and in thy fight, and am no more worthy to be called thy fon: O pity, and cleanfe, and forgive, and fave me, for thy mercies' fake. Forgive all my fins, for I am fully refolved, by thy grace, to love and ferve thee. Forgive me, O moft gracious God, for I forgive all that have offended me, and do entreat thee to forO Lord God, my give them likewife. wickednefs is great, and my iniquities are infinite; they are more in number than the hairs of my head; and my heart would fail me, but that I well know thy mercies are more numberlefs than my fins. O do not exact punishment of me for my fins; but extend thy mercy and pardon to my foul, for my dear Redeemer's fake, Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then

« AnteriorContinua »